Marines told to meet strict fitness standards, or ship out

About a dozen Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar worked out in December in the Body Composition Program, a remedial conditioning and nutrition program for overweight Marines in danger of being kicked out of the Corps if they don't slim down. Some fit and trim Marines join in just for the exercise. |_Mandatory Photo Credit: Photo by Don Boomer/UT San Diego/Copyright 2012 San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC
— Don Boomer

About a dozen Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar worked out in December in the Body Composition Program, a remedial conditioning and nutrition program for overweight Marines in danger of being kicked out of the Corps if they don't slim down. Some fit and trim Marines join in just for the exercise. |_Mandatory Photo Credit: Photo by Don Boomer/UT San Diego/Copyright 2012 San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC
— Don Boomer

Of course, Marines aren’t the only ones who sometimes struggle with weight. By 2030 more than half of Americans could be obese, according to a report last year called “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future,” by The Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

For those looking to join the Corps, recruiters work out three times a week with potential recruits who need help getting into shape. Why spend time on the flabby?

“In the Marines, you’re pushed to be a leader. The beginning of all leadership is realizing yourself and seeking self-improvement. Once someone shows us the commitment to want to improve their lifestyle then we are going to work with them 100 percent,”said Sgt. Gary Soucy, a Marine recruiter in San Diego. “It’s what you put into it. If someone has their heart set on it, we are there to guide them and push them.”

Being overweight is associated with higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In the military, it has additional life and death repercussions.

“Combat effectiveness is really what it boils down to. If you have an extra 50 pounds on your body, can you be effective carrying 80 pounds of gear, confronting the enemy in the field?” Jones said.

Food as fuel

Daily workouts help, but the real secret to getting the “fat monkey” off your back is “what you put in your face,” Jones said. He advises Marines to cut down or eliminate bread and other gluten products, simple carbohydrates like white rice, dairy, alcohol and sugar — especially sodas and full-calorie energy drinks.

“With the guys they often think ‘Oh well, I’ll PT some more so I can eat that cheeseburger,” Jones said, referring to physical training.

That didn’t work for Lance Cpl. Esau Munoz, 25, of Arondale, Ariz., a military policeman who bulked up after shoulder surgery for a training injury. For the first four months he didn’t lose any weight, despite twice daily workouts. When he changed his diet, he dropped 21 pounds in two months and felt stronger and more energized.

Munoz passed a recent body fat measurement. Now it will be a relief to ditch the stigma of assignment to the Body Composition Program and the stereotype that everyone in it must be a slacker, he said. “It’s a huge stress knowing if I don’t make it, first I won’t be promoted, and second, I could face administrative separation. That right there is motivation enough.”

Pfc. Raquel Barraza, 20, of Phoenix, always struggled to keep weight off her thick frame. On her last try, she cleared her final measurement of the six-month program.

“It felt amazing, because you put in all this hard work and you’re hoping it pays off,” she said. “They gave me this chance to improve myself. … Now I am going to stick with it and make sure I come out here and motivate these Marines and say yes, you can do it.”